Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

[Talisker]

Hi

I usually get out of a bunker without to much hassle. But there is the one lie that gets me.
I think it is also referred to as fried egg? The ball sticks in the uphill part of the trap, deep in the sand, way above your feet and the bunker is 5 feet high.
I hope you can visualize it...*G* Normaly I mess up the first shot and the ball rolls down to the bottom of the bunker. From this position I have no problem to spin it out.

How can I get it out from the first lie?

I appreciate your help...

[GregJWillis]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

This is not too bad of a shot to get out in 1. Here's how:

* Adjust the ball position in the back.
* Keep level shoulders to the horizon, not the hill. This is slightly different to normal shots where you want the shoulders to always be level with the ground's slope
* Do not open the SW up, but rather, keep it square or even shut slightly. Using a PW is not a bad option if you do not have a large lip to carry.
* Now, the strike:
---Hard---Powerful---and Downward---1 inch behind the ball
This gets the ball to pop up and out. Thinking that the club actually will make contact with the ball causing it to lift the ball out is what causes all the problems. Doing this strike into the hill and downward will create a crater of sand that is launched out and anything inside that crater will go with it...so if there is a ball in there, that too will go.
* There is no spin of course, so expect run but at least you are out.

[peter3]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

Just to add to Gregs reply: you can almost never hit these shots too hard, so just smash that sucker!

[bill reed]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

hi
i agree its like your trying to scoop out 7/8 inches of sand so hands have to be kept firm and grip has to be bit firmer too, think of hitting the sand out the bunker and not the ball and the ball just pops out..
bill

[Talisker]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

* Do not open the SW up, but rather, keep it square or even shut slightly. Using a PW is not a bad option if you do not have a large lip to carry.
* Now, the strike:
---Hard---Powerful---and Downward---1 inch behind the ball
This gets the ball to pop up and out. Thinking that the club actually will make contact with the ball causing it to lift the ball out is what causes all the problems. Doing this strike into the hill and downward will create a crater of sand that is launched out and anything inside that crater will go with it...so if there is a ball in there, that too will go.

Guess I did exactly the opposite...*lol*
I keep my shoulders parallel to the slope, have the Wedge slightly open, the ball forward in my stance, since it is way above my feet and choke down on the club.

Do I understand right, with shoulders level, I basicly hammer the club into the bunker wall? Well kinda... There is hardly a follow through with that swing, just brut force in order to move a bucket load of sand?
Thinking about it, it makes sense to me. There is alot of sand pilled up below the ball. I assume that is the reason why I wasn't able to get under the ball with a open face. I tried to be to gentle...

Thanks for help, I'll try that out tomorrow.

[Talisker]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

Well, I got myself again in my favorite bunker. And guess what.... I followed your advise and got out from that lie in one! It' amazing how easy it was.

Just to explain... this deep bunker guards the full front of a green that has about a 150 yard second shot (Par4 90* Dogleg left) and is sits on a steep incline (guess about 60ft higher). Soooooo, if you are long..... deep rough is waiting on the other side and you have a steep downhill lie. You are short, there is my favorite bunker awaiting you...*G*

oh, got Par today...

thanks.

[BrianW]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

Hi,

I was taught this method of hitting a buried lie from a greenside bunker and it has worked well for me (Hope this explanation is clear enough):

Address the ball slightly forward in your stance, hood the club so that the face is pointing directly downwards at the ball by rotating it in your grip 90 deg clockwise, do not twist your wrists. take the club back with an early wrist break then hit down behind the ball with a high follow through, imagine you are trying to throw sand to the target. The ball will pop out under good control.

I am not sure of the mechanics but it works, I am so confident with it now that I use it on nearly all greenside bunker shots, even if the ball is not buried.

[jambalaya]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

Now, how about the shot with the ball buried in the downhill part in the back of the bunker near the lip.

[peter3]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

Now, how about the shot with the ball buried in the downhill part in the back of the bunker near the lip.

Place ball further back in stance than normal, close the club face, align shoulders to the slope (and keep them there!), don't make a big follow-through.

If the ball is very close to the lip so you can't take a normal swing to it, align your shoulders parallell to the bunker edge, open up the blade until it points right of the flag and swing along your shoulders (this could be 90 degrees or more perpendicular to the path to the flag). The ball will go where the club face is pointing (more or less). Sounds crazy, but it does work.

If the lie is too difficult or you don't feel confident, get out to the side or backwards, take your medicine and promise never get into that bunker again without practicing that particular shot

--
Regards, Peter

[Scragger63]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

Come on Jambalaya, it is physically impossible to ever leave yourself buried in a down slope in a bunker.

And no coach I have ever met is cynical enough to put the ball in such a lie...

[GreeBoman]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

tell that to my ball...
Often happens on a short, high par 3.
Ball lands vertically, often stopping where it first lands

[LowPost42]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

tell that to my ball...
Often happens on a short, high par 3.
Ball lands vertically, often stopping where it first lands

Or big sloped bunkers - same thing though, short par 3 where the ball is sky-high and short.

My only solution is to swing very hard with my SW, and try not to hit too far behind the ball.

[jambalaya]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

Come on Jambalaya, it is physically impossible to ever leave yourself buried in a down slope in a bunker.

And no coach I have ever met is cynical enough to put the ball in such a lie...

I was kind of kidding around a bit. Rare but possible with a big bunker. One could also bury in a bunker at the back or side of the green in a downhill lie. More likely one will roll into the bunder to a downhill lie and not buried. All are really tough shots.

[Scragger63]

Re: Burried ball in a uphill Bunker lie

All righty then......

It's possibly the greatest golfing tool that I lack, imagination...

Just for the life of me couldn't see how a ball could plug in a down slope at the back of a bunker. My physics background told me it was nigh on impossible....

Like all things in golf, I guess the rarities can and do happen...

Occasionally when I snap hook one off the first tee into the trees, "sometimes" the ball will hit one and rebound out into the middle of the fairway...

Never say never I guess...

Cheers